Epoxy resins are useful in many applications such as adhesives, coatings, castings, laminates, composites and the like. In each of these applications, it is desirable to have epoxy resins with improved physical and/or thermal properties.
The present invention provides advanced resin compositions with improved properties through the incorporation of mesogenic (liquid crystalline type) structures into the polymer chain. These resins are obtained through advancement reactions with mesogenic compounds containing active hydrogens. The typical structure of the mesogenic compounds consists of two or more aromatic rings bridged by a rigid, central linkage. The active hydrogen sites are provided by hydroxyl, amine, amide and/or carboxylic acid functionality.
An additional aspect of the present invention is that the property improvements which are obtained with these resins can be further enhanced by the application of electric and magnetic fields and shear stresses during processing and/or cure.